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Comment by redthrowaway | Hacker News Reader

> they're not only admitting to power one of the most hated aspects of the company (genetic manipulation of seeds), but they're actually touting it as a win for the company.

It is a win for Cloudant. A huge win. They're a data company, not a biological warfare company. Their product will be used in an incredibly data-intensive application to do some really cool analysis. That's awesome for a data startup, and something to be proud of.

If I were a maker of a light-weight, high-strength alloy, should I be ashamed if Lockheed Martin wants to use it in their newest fighter jet? Of course not. I should be stoked that my product is getting such a high-profile endorsement, and excited about what it means for future development.

This announcement lends huge credibility to BigCouch, and will likely lead to future deals. They'd be idiots and incredibly poor businessmen if they didn't announce it with some fanfare.

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I personally wouldn't partner with Lockheed Martin if my tech was going to be used for weaponry. We've refused lucrative contracts with certain companies because we don't respect their product or their past behavior. It completely depends on the relative weight of what you find important.

Partnership deals happen in the background without anyone knowing about it unless you are in the scene. Fact is that they could've done this deal without such an announcement and people/investors in the know within SV would've heard about it.

The fact is that Monsanto has a long history of harmful activities in the United States (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsanto#Environmental_and_heal...) and the world (http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-world-according-to-monsan...) that it is a red flag. Sure, Cloudant isn't a bio warfare company, but the fact is that they are proud to be associated with Monsanto.

>I personally wouldn't partner with Lockheed Martin if my tech was going to be used for weaponry.

Say goodbye to the vast majority of technological, materials, and aerospace development of the 20th century.

>The fact is that Monsanto has a long history of harmful activities in the United States

So? Sequencing genes isn't one of them.

>Sure, Cloudant isn't a bio warfare company, but the fact is that they are proud to be associated with Monsanto

They're proud that their product has found such a demanding and high-profile customer. They should be. They aren't providing logistical support for Monsanto's campaign to crush independent farmers, they're providing the backbone for gene sequencing.

It doesn't matter what you think of Monsanto or some of their policies. Fact is, Cloudant has found a demanding and bleeding-edge customer for their product, which will lead to big advances both in its adoption and its underlying technology. That's a Good Thing.

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